house Resolution No.243
Reps. Elder, Hoadley, Hall, Pohutsky, Sneller, Stone, Cherry, Rabhi, Cynthia Johnson, Haadsma, Kennedy, Brenda Carter, Tate, Shannon, Kuppa, Tyrone Carter, Sabo, Robinson, Hope, Sowerby, Hood, Guerra, Manoogian, Bolden, Peterson and Hammoud offered the following resolution:
Whereas, Call centers are a major source of employment in the United States. About 2.5 percent of the U.S. workforce is employed by the industry, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth of 5 percent for customer service representatives by 2026; and
Whereas, American communities have devoted taxpayer resources to encourage the growth of this industry and the creation of call center jobs. Many communities have committed millions of taxpayer dollars to incentivize companies to open call center jobs in their area. In 2015, the Tax Foundation found that several states offered tax incentives to new call center operations, sometimes resulting in a negative overall tax burden for the call center operator; and
Whereas, Call center operators are increasingly choosing to lay off American workers in favor of outsourcing operations to lower-wage, loosely regulated countries. This leaves American workers unemployed and communities to pick up to pieces from the lost financial investment. In late 2019, Alorica Inc. announced it would be closing a number of call centers across the country, including in Jackson, Michigan, while it was reported that the firm was considering hiring thousands of employees overseas; and
Whereas, H.R. 3219 of 2019 and S. 1792 of 2019 would incentivize call center operators to not outsource American jobs. The act would require the U.S. Department of Labor to maintain a publicly available list of all employers that relocated all or a significant portion of their call center or customer service work overseas. These companies would lose eligibility for federal grants and loans, while preference for civilian and defense-related contracts would be given to companies that do not appear on the list; and
Whereas, H.R. 3219 of 2019 and S. 1792 of 2019 would also allow consumers to express their preference of call centers located in the United States. The act would require overseas call centers to disclose their location to customers and transfer consumers to a service agent located within the United States upon request; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to pass H.R. 3219 of 2019 and S. 1792 of 2019, the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2019; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and members of the Michigan congressional delegation.